Electronic device for wirelessly charging external electronic device

ABSTRACT

An electronic includes: a housing including a first plate, a second plate, and a side member; a display; a conductive coil parallel to the second plate and disposed between the display and the second plate; a wireless charging circuitry electrically connected to the conductive coil; and a processor operatively connected with the display and the wireless charging circuitry. The wireless charging circuitry receives a signal for wirelessly transferring power to an external electronic device from the processor, receives information about the external electronic device, receives a power control signal from the external electronic device via the conductive coil, applies a charging current of a first frequency to the conductive coil based at least in part on a request signal, increases a frequency of the charging current, compares the increased frequency with a first value, and adjusts a duty cycle of the charging current.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is based on and claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2019-0019114, filed on Feb. 19,2019, and Korean Patent Application No. 10-2019-0055770, filed on May13, 2019, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure ofwhich is incorporated by reference herein its entirety.

BACKGROUND 1. Field

The disclosure relates to technologies of enhancing wireless chargingperformance of an electronic device.

2. Description of Related Art

A battery may be embedded in an electronic device (e.g., a smartphone).The electronic device may perform various functions (e.g., a function ofexecuting an application) using power stored in the battery.

Whenever the battery is discharged, a user may charge the battery in awired or wireless manner. For a wired charging scheme, the user maydirectly connect the electronic device and a travel adaptor (TA) using acable to charge the battery. For a wireless charging scheme, when theuser puts the electronic device on a wireless charging device (e.g., awireless charging pad), the wireless charging pad may charge thebattery.

However, because the battery is charged through a separate device (e.g.,the TA or the wireless charging device) in both the wired chargingscheme and the wireless charging scheme, the user may charge the batteryin only the state where he or she carries the separate device. Thus,recently, technologies capable of charging the battery without theseparate device have been actively developed. For example, technologiesof allowing the electronic device to directly charge a battery of anexternal electronic device have been actively developed.

The above information is presented as background information only toassist with an understanding of the present disclosure. No determinationhas been made, and no assertion is made, as to whether any of the abovemight be applicable as prior art with regard to the present disclosure.

SUMMARY

When an electronic device charges a battery of an external electronicdevice in a wireless charging scheme, the electronic device and theexternal electronic device may come into contact with each other. Forexample, as the electronic device and the external electronic devicecome into contact with each other, when a conductive coil of theelectronic device and a conductive coil of the external electronicdevice are aligned, the electronic device may transfer power to theexternal electronic device through a specific frequency band.

However, when the conductive coil of the electronic device and theconductive coil of the external electronic device are very close indistance to each other, charging may fail to be performed or chargingefficiency may be unstable. Particularly, when charging power is low ina process of starting charging, charging efficiency may be moreunstable.

Aspects of the disclosure are to address at least the above-mentionedproblems and/or disadvantages and to provide at least the advantagesdescribed below. Accordingly, an aspect of the disclosure is to providean electronic device for stably charging an external electronic device.

In accordance with an aspect of the disclosure, an electronic device isprovided. The electronic device may include a housing including a firstplate, a second plate spaced apart from the first plate and facing thefirst plate, and a side member which at least partially surrounds aspace between the first plate and the second plate, a display located inthe space and shown through the first plate, a conductive coil parallelto the second plate and disposed between the display and the secondplate, a wireless charging circuitry electrically connected to theconductive coil, and a processor operatively connected with the displayand the wireless charging circuitry. The wireless charging circuitry maybe configured to receive a signal, enabling the wireless chargingcircuitry, for wirelessly transferring power to an external electronicdevice, from the processor, receive information about the externalelectronic device from the external electronic device via the conductivecoil, receive a power control signal from the external electronic devicevia the conductive coil, apply a charging current of a first frequencyto the conductive coil based at least in part on a request signal,increase a frequency of the charging current, compare the increasedfrequency with a first value, and adjust a duty cycle of the chargingcurrent based on at least in part on the compared result.

In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, an electronicdevice is provided. The electronic device may include a housingincluding a first plate, a second plate spaced apart from the firstplate and facing the first plate, and a side member which at leastpartially surrounds a space between the first plate and the secondplate, a display located in the space and shown through the first plate,a conductive coil parallel to the second plate and disposed between thedisplay and the second plate, a wireless charging circuitry electricallyconnected to the conductive coil, and a processor operatively connectedwith the display and the wireless charging circuitry. The processor mayapply a charging current to the conductive coil via the wirelesscharging circuitry, when receiving a power control signal from anexternal electronic device, may increase a frequency of the chargingcurrent to have a first value, and may decrease a duty cycle of thecharging current to have a second value between a minimum duty cycle anda maximum duty cycle, which are adjustable by the wireless chargingcircuitry, when the frequency of the charging current is the firstvalue.

In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, a method forwirelessly charging an external electronic device is provided. Themethod may include receiving a power control signal via a conductivecoil from the external electronic device, applying a charging current tothe conductive coil via a wireless charging circuitry, increasing afrequency of the charging current to have a first value, and decreasinga duty cycle of the charging current to have a second value between aminimum duty cycle and a maximum duty cycle, which are adjustable by thewireless charging circuitry, when the frequency of the charging currentis the first value.

Other aspects, advantages, and salient features of the disclosure willbecome apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detaileddescription, which, taken in conjunction with the annexed drawings,discloses various embodiments of the disclosure.

Before undertaking the DETAILED DESCRIPTION below, it may beadvantageous to set forth definitions of certain words and phrases usedthroughout this patent document: the terms “include” and “comprise,” aswell as derivatives thereof, mean inclusion without limitation; the term“or,” is inclusive, meaning and/or; the phrases “associated with” and“associated therewith,” as well as derivatives thereof, may mean toinclude, be included within, interconnect with, contain, be containedwithin, connect to or with, couple to or with, be communicable with,cooperate with, interleave, juxtapose, be proximate to, be bound to orwith, have, have a property of, or the like; and the term “controller”means any device, system or part thereof that controls at least oneoperation, such a device may be implemented in hardware, firmware orsoftware, or some combination of at least two of the same. It should benoted that the functionality associated with any particular controllermay be centralized or distributed, whether locally or remotely.

Moreover, various functions described below can be implemented orsupported by one or more computer programs, each of which is formed fromcomputer readable program code and embodied in a computer readablemedium. The terms “application” and “program” refer to one or morecomputer programs, software components, sets of instructions,procedures, functions, objects, classes, instances, related data, or aportion thereof adapted for implementation in a suitable computerreadable program code. The phrase “computer readable program code”includes any type of computer code, including source code, object code,and executable code. The phrase “computer readable medium” includes anytype of medium capable of being accessed by a computer, such as readonly memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), a hard disk drive, acompact disc (CD), a digital video disc (DVD), or any other type ofmemory. A “non-transitory” computer readable medium excludes wired,wireless, optical, or other communication links that transporttransitory electrical or other signals. A non-transitory computerreadable medium includes media where data can be permanently stored andmedia where data can be stored and later overwritten, such as arewritable optical disc or an erasable memory device.

Definitions for certain words and phrases are provided throughout thispatent document, those of ordinary skill in the art should understandthat in many, if not most instances, such definitions apply to prior, aswell as future uses of such defined words and phrases.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other aspects, features, and advantages of certainembodiments of the disclosure will be more apparent from the followingdescription taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

FIG. 1 is a drawing illustrating an appearance in which an electronicdevice charges an external electronic device according to an embodiment;

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view illustrating an electronic deviceaccording to an embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a signal sequence diagram illustrating operations of anelectronic device and an external electronic device according to anembodiment;

FIG. 4A is a circuit diagram illustrating a connection relationshipbetween an electronic device and an external electronic device accordingto an embodiment;

FIG. 4B is a drawing illustrating voltage and current applied to anelectronic device and an external electronic device according to anembodiment;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of an electronic deviceaccording to an embodiment;

FIG. 6 is a drawing illustrating an electronic device and a case deviceaccording to an embodiment; and

FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating an electronic device 701 in anetwork environment 700 according to various embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIGS. 1 through 7, discussed below, and the various embodiments used todescribe the principles of the present disclosure in this patentdocument are by way of illustration only and should not be construed inany way to limit the scope of the disclosure. Those skilled in the artwill understand that the principles of the present disclosure may beimplemented in any suitably arranged system or device.

FIG. 1 is a drawing illustrating an appearance in which an electronicdevice charges an external electronic device according to an embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 1, an electronic device 100 may charge an externalelectronic device 200. For example, when a battery of the externalelectronic device 200 is insufficient or discharged, the electronicdevice 100 may transfer the power of a battery disposed in theelectronic device 100 to the external electronic device 200 to charge abattery of the external electronic device 200.

According to an embodiment, the electronic device 100 may periodicallydetect whether the external electronic device 200 is close to theelectronic device 100. For example, the electronic device 100 may enablea wireless power transfer function and may perform an operation ofdetecting a target (e.g., the external electronic device 200) towirelessly transfer power. When the external electronic device 200 isclose to the electronic device 100, the electronic device 100 mayidentify the external electronic device 200. When the externalelectronic device 200 is a device which supports wireless charging, theelectronic device 100 may perform the wireless charging.

According to an embodiment, the electronic device 100 may receive apower control signal from the external electronic device 200. Theelectronic device 100 may apply a charging current to a conductive coildisposed in the electronic device 100 in response to receiving the powercontrol signal.

According to an embodiment, the electronic device 100 may adjust afrequency and/or a duty cycle of a charging power to adjust intensity ofthe charging power transferred to the external electronic device 200.For example, the frequency of the charging power and the intensity ofthe charging power may be inversely proportional to each other, and theduty cycle of the charging power and the intensity of the charging powermay be proportional to each other.

According to an embodiment, because power required by the externalelectronic device 200 is low at a time when wireless charging is started(or at an initial time of the wireless charging), to adjust intensity ofcharging power, the electronic device 100 may perform an operation ofincreasing a frequency of the charging power and decreasing a duty cycleof the charging power. For example, because current does not flow in awireless charging circuitry (e.g., a wireless charging circuitry 250 ofFIG. 4A) included in the external electronic device at the time when thewireless charging is started (or at the initial time of the wirelesscharging), power required by the external electronic device 200 may below. Thus, the external electronic device 200 may request the electronicdevice 100 to transfer a low transmit power.

According to an embodiment, at a time when wireless charging is started(or at an initial time of the wireless charging), the electronic device100 may increase a frequency of a charging current until the frequencyof the charging current (charging power) is a first value (e.g., 110 KHzto 148 KHZ). When the frequency of the charging current is the firstvalue, the electronic device 100 may decrease a duty cycle of thecharging current until the duty cycle of the charging current (chargingpower) is a second value (e.g., 30%). The second value may be greaterthan a minimum value (e.g., 20%) of the duty cycle adjustable by theelectronic device 100.

When the duty cycle decreases to the minimum value, because powertransferred from the electronic device 100 to the external electronicdevice 200 is not sufficient, a voltage drop of the electronic device100 may occur. Thus, charging may fail to be performed, and chargingefficiency may be unstable. Particularly, as the electronic device 100and the external electronic device 200 come into contact with eachother, when a conductive coil (e.g., a conductive coil 140 of FIG. 4A)included in the electronic device 100 is very close in distance to aconductive coil (e.g., a conductive coil 240 of FIG. 4A) included in theexternal electronic device 200, charging efficiency may be moreunstable.

When the duty cycle of the charging current is the second value (e.g.,30%), the electronic device 100 according to an embodiment of thedisclosure may maintain the duty cycle not to be reduced any longer.Thus, although the conductive coil included in the electronic device 100is very close in distance to the conductive coil included in theexternal electronic device 200 (or although a distance between theconductive coil included in the electronic device 100 and the conductivecoil included in the external electronic device 200 is within aspecified range), the electronic device 100 may transfer sufficientpower to the external electronic device 200, and a voltage drop of theexternal electronic device 200 may fail to occur. For example, thespecified range between the conductive coils may be a range defined inwireless power consortium (WPC).

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view illustrating an electronic deviceaccording to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective viewillustrating an electronic device 100 shown in FIG. 1.

Referring to FIG. 2, the electronic device 100 may include a housing110, a display 120, a printed circuit board 130, a conductive coil 140,a wireless charging circuitry 150, a processor 160, a memory 180, and abattery 190. According to an embodiment, the electronic device 100 mayexclude some of the components shown in FIG. 2 or may further includeanother component which is not shown in FIG. 2. Furthermore, an orderwhere the components included in the electronic device 100 are laminatedmay differ from a laminated order shown in FIG. 2.

The housing 110 may form the appearance of the electronic device 100.For example, the housing 110 may include a first plate 111, a secondplate 112 opposite to the first plate 111, and a side member 113 whichsurrounds between the first plate 111 and the second plate 112.

The first plate 111 may transmit light generated by the display 120.Furthermore, a user may come into contact with the first plate 111 witha part (e.g., a finger) of his or her body to perform a touch (includingcontact using an electronic pen). The first plate 1110 may be formed of,for example, tempered glass, reinforced plastic, flexible polymermaterials, or the like. According to an embodiment, the first plate 1110may be referred to as a glass window.

The side member 113 may protect the components included in theelectronic device 100. For example, the display 120 and the printedcircuit board 130 may be mounted in the side member 113. The side member113 may protect the components from an external impact.

The second plate 112 may be combined with a rear surface of theelectronic device 100. The second plate 112 may be formed of coated orcolored glass, ceramics, polymer, metal (or aluminum, stainless steel(STS), or magnesium) or at least two combinations of the materials.According to an embodiment, the second plate 112 may be integrallyimplemented with the side member 113 or may be implemented to beremovable by a user.

The display 120 may be disposed between the first plate 111 and theprinted circuit board 130. The display 120 may be electrically connectedwith the printed circuit board 130 to output content (e.g., a text, animage, a video, an icon, a widget, or a symbol) or receive a touch input(e.g., a touch, a gesture, or hovering) from the user.

The printed circuit board 130 may mount various electronic parts,elements, printed circuits, or the like of the electronic device 100.For example, the printed circuit board 130 may mount the wirelesscharging circuitry 150, the processor 160, and the memory 180. In thedisclosure, the printed circuit board 130 may be referred to as a mainboard, a printed board assembly (PBA), or a PCB.

The conductive coil 140 may be disposed between the second plate 112 andthe printed circuit board 130. When a charging current flows in theconductive coil 140, the conductive coil 140 may transfer a chargingpower to an external electronic device (e.g., an external electronicdevice 200 of FIG. 1). According to an embodiment, the conductive coil140 may receive information about the external electronic device 200 anda power control signal from the external electronic device 200.

The wireless charging circuitry 150 may be operatively connected withthe conductive coil 140 and the processor 160. The wireless chargingcircuitry 150 may receive an enable signal for transferring wirelesspower from the processor 160. When the enable signal is received, thewireless charging circuitry 150 may apply a charging current to theconductive coil 140. According to an embodiment, the wireless chargingcircuitry 150 may change a frequency and a duty cycle of the chargingcurrent (or charging power). For example, when the electronic device 100receives the power control signal from the external electronic device200, the wireless charging circuitry 150 may increase a frequency of thecharging current and may decrease a duty cycle of the charging current.According to an embodiment, the wireless charging circuitry 150 mayreceive a signal for requesting to increase or decrease a charging powerfrom the external electronic device 200 and may increase or decrease thecharging power based on the signal. Furthermore, the wireless chargingcircuitry 150 may receive an amount of power received by the externalelectronic device 200 from the external electronic device 200. When theamount of power is less than or equal to a specified level, the wirelesscharging circuitry 150 may increase the charging power. On the otherhand, when the amount of power is greater than the specified level, thewireless charging circuitry 150 may decrease the charging power.

The wireless charging circuitry 150 may receive a signal enabling thewireless charging circuitry 150, for transferring wireless power to theexternal electronic device 200, from the processor 160. In response toreceiving the enable signal, the wireless charging circuitry 150 mayreceive information about the external electronic device 200 through theconductive coil 140. Moreover, the wireless charging circuitry 150 mayreceive a power control signal from the external electronic device 200and may apply a charging current of a first frequency to the conductivecoil 140 based at least in part on the request signal.

The wireless charging circuitry 150 may increase a frequency of thecharging current and may compare the increased frequency with a firstvalue. The first value may correspond to a maximum frequency valueprovidable by the wireless charging circuitry 150. When the increasedfrequency corresponds to the first frequency as a result of thecomparison, the wireless charging circuitry 150 may adjust a duty cycleof the charging current. For example, the wireless charging circuitry150 may adjust the duty cycle of the charging current within a firstrange between a lower limit and an upper limit of the duty cycle.

The processor 160 may receive a power control signal from the externalelectronic device 200. The processor 160 may apply a charging current tothe conductive coil 140 via the wireless charging circuitry 150 inresponse to receiving the power control signal. In this case, theprocessor 160 may increase a frequency of the charging current until afrequency of the charging current (or charging power) is a first value(e.g., 110 KHz to 148 KHz) via the wireless charging circuitry 150. Whenthe frequency of the charging current is the first value, the processor160 may decrease a duty cycle of the charging current until the dutycycle of the charging current is a second value (e.g., 30%) through thewireless charging circuitry 150. The second value may be greater than aminimum value (e.g., 20%) of the duty cycle adjustable by the processor160.

According to an embodiment, the processor 160 may perform wirelesscharging based on a user input. For example, in a state where theelectronic device 100 and the external electronic device 200 come intocontact with each other, the processor 160 may execute a wirelesscharging protocol in response to a user input. When the wirelesscharging is started, the processor 160 may receive a power controlsignal from the external electronic device 200 and may adjust afrequency and a duty cycle of the charging current based on the powercontrol signal.

When receiving a power control signal from the external electronicdevice 200, an existing electronic device may decrease a duty cycle of acharging current to the minimum value. When the duty cycle decreases tothe minimum value, because power transferred from the existingelectronic device to the external electronic device 200 is notsufficient, a voltage drop of the external electronic device 200 mayoccur. Thus, charging may fail to be performed, and charging efficiencymay be unstable. However, when the duty cycle of the charging current isthe second value (e.g., 30%), the electronic device 100 according to anembodiment of the disclosure may maintain the duty cycle not to bereduced any longer. Thus, the electronic device 100 may transfersufficient power to the external electronic device 200, and a voltagedrop of the external electronic device 200 may fail to occur.

According to an embodiment, the processor 160 may transmit a chargingcurrent at a frequency of the first value and at a duty cycle of thesecond value via the wireless charging circuitry 150 during a selectedtime period. The second value may be any one value between an upperlimit and a lower limit of the duty cycle. After the selected timeperiod, the processor 160 may adjust a frequency and a duty cycle of thecharging current to a default value and may change the default valuebased on a request of the external electronic device 200.

The memory 180 may be disposed on the printed circuit board 130. Thememory 180 may store instructions and various programs, which areexecuted by the processor 160.

The battery 190 may convert chemical energy and electrical energy inboth directions. For example, the battery 190 may convert chemicalenergy into electrical energy and may supply the converted electricalenergy to the display 120 or various components or modules mounted onthe printed circuit board 130. Alternatively, the battery 190 mayconvert electrical energy supplied from the outside into chemical energyand may store the converted chemical energy. According to an embodiment,a power management module for managing charging and discharging of thebattery 190 may be included in the printed circuit board 130. In thedisclosure, contents described with reference to FIG. 2 are alsoapplicable to components having the same reference denotations as thoseof the electronic device 100 shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 3 is a signal sequence diagram illustrating operations of anelectronic device and an external electronic device according to anembodiment. FIG. 3 is a signal sequence diagram illustrating in detailan order where an electronic device and an external electronic deviceshown in FIG. 1 are operated.

Referring to FIG. 3, the electronic device 100 and the externalelectronic device 200 may enter a first state. The first state may be astate where the electronic device 100 detects the external electronicdevice 200, which may be referred to as a “ping phase”. In the firststate, the electronic device 100 may transmit first information fordetecting the external electronic device 200 to the external electronicdevice 200. According to an embodiment, in the first state, theelectronic device 100 may periodically transmit the first information tothe external electronic device 200. In the first state, the electronicdevice 100 may transmit the first information to the electronic device200 at minimum power capable of recognizing the external electronicdevice 200. Receiving the first information, the external electronicdevice 200 may transmit second information for starting a wirelesscharging protocol to the electronic device 100. In the disclosure, thefirst information and the second information may be referred to as a“digital ping” and a “signal strength packet”, respectively.

When wireless charging is started as the external electronic device 200transmits the second information, the electronic device 100 and theexternal electronic device 200 may enter a second state. The secondstate may be a state where the electronic device 100 identifies theexternal electronic device 200, which may be referred to as an“identification and configuration phase”. In the second state, theexternal electronic device 200 may transmit third information which isinformation (e.g., a WPC version, a manufacturer, and/or a product code)associated with identifying the external electronic device 200 andfourth information which is information (e.g., a power class and/ormaximum power) associated with a power of the external electronic device200 to the electronic device 100. In the disclosure, the thirdinformation and the fourth information may be referred to as an“identification packet” and a “configuration packet”, respectively.

When the external electronic device 200 is recognized, the electronicdevice 100 and the external electronic device 200 may enter a thirdstate. The third state may be a state where the electronic device 100transfers power to the external electronic device 200, which may bereferred to as a “power transfer phase”. In the third state, theexternal electronic device 200 may transmit fifth information forrequesting to increase or decrease power to be transferred and sixthinformation indicating a power value received by the external electronicdevice 200 to the electronic device 100. While the wireless charging isperformed, the electronic device 100 may repeatedly receive the fifthinformation and the sixth information from the external electronicdevice 200. The electronic device 100 may increase or decrease power tobe transferred, based on the fifth information and the sixthinformation. In the disclosure, the fifth information and the sixthinformation may be referred to as a “control error packet” and a“received power packet”, respectively.

According to an embodiment, when entering the third state, theelectronic device 100 may receive a power control signal from theexternal electronic device 200. The electronic device 100 may apply acharging current to a conductive coil (e.g., a conductive coil 140 ofFIG. 2) disposed in the electronic device 100 in response to receivingthe power control signal. In this case, the electronic device 100 mayincrease a frequency of the charging current until a frequency of thecharging current is a first value (e.g., 110 KHz to 148 KHz). When thefrequency of the charging current is the first value, the electronicdevice 100 may decrease a duty cycle of the charging current until theduty cycle of the charging current is a second value (e.g., 30%). Thesecond value may be greater than a minimum value (e.g., 20%) of the dutycycle adjustable by the electronic device 100.

When the duty cycle decreases to the minimum value, because powertransferred from the electronic device 100 to the external electronicdevice 200 is not sufficient, a voltage drop of the external electronicdevice 200 may occur. Thus, charging may fail to be performed, andcharging efficiency may be unstable. Particularly, as the electronicdevice 100 and the external electronic device 200 come into contact witheach other, when the conductive coil 140 included in the electronicdevice 100 and a conductive coil included in the external electronicdevice 200 are very close in distance to each other, charging efficiencymay be more unstable.

When the duty cycle of the charging current is the second value (e.g.,30%) in the third state, the electronic device 100 according to anembodiment of the disclosure may maintain the duty cycle not to bereduced any longer. Thus, although the conductive coil 140 included inthe electronic device 100 and the conductive coil included in theexternal electronic device 200 are very close in distance to each other,the electronic device 100 may transfer suitable power to the externalelectronic device 200, and a voltage drop of the external electronicdevice 200 may fail to occur.

FIG. 4A is a circuit diagram illustrating a connection relationshipbetween an electronic device and an external electronic device accordingto an embodiment. FIG. 4B is a drawing illustrating voltage and currentapplied to an electronic device and an external electronic deviceaccording to an embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 4A, an electronic device 100 may include a wirelesscharging circuitry 150 and a conductive coil 140. An external electronicdevice 200 may include a wireless charging circuitry 250 and aconductive coil 240. A charging current applied from the wirelesscharging circuitry 150 of the electronic device 100 may flow through theconductive coil 140 of the electronic device 100. When the chargingcurrent flows in the conductive coil 140 of the electronic device 100,current may flow in the conductive coil 240 of the external electronicdevice 200. Through the process, a charging power may be transferred tothe external electronic device 200.

Referring to FIG. 4B, a first graph 410 indicates voltage applied to afirst point 170 of the electronic device 100. A second graph 420indicates voltage applied to a first point 211 of the externalelectronic device 200. A third graph 430 indicates voltage applied to asecond point 212 of the external electronic device 200. A fourth graph440 indicates current which flows in the second point 212 of theexternal electronic device 200. Referring to the first to fourth graphs410 to 440, the electronic device 100 may gradually increase the voltageof the first point 170 until a first time point. In the disclosure, thefirst time point may refer to a time when the electronic device 100starts to transfer power to the external electronic device 200. Forexample, the first time point may refer to a time when a third stateshown in FIG. 3 is started. When the voltage of the first point 170 isgradually increased until the first time point, voltage at the firstpoint 211 and the second point 212 of the external electronic device 200may be gradually increased.

According to an embodiment, the electronic device 100 may increase afrequency of a charging current from the first time point and maydecrease a duty cycle of the charging current. Because power required bythe external electronic device 200 is low at a time when wirelesscharging is started (or at an initial time of the wireless charging),the electronic device 100 may increase the frequency of the chargingcurrent and may decrease the duty cycle of the charging current, thusdecreasing intensity of the charging power. For example, the electronicdevice 100 may increase the frequency of the charging current during afirst time from the first time point. When the frequency of the chargingcurrent is increased, the electronic device 100 may decrease the dutycycle of the charging current during a second time subsequent to thefirst time. When the frequency of the charging current is increased andwhen the duty cycle of the charging current is decreased, the voltage atthe first point 211 of the external electronic device 200 may begradually decreased. Thus, the voltage at the first point 211 and thevoltage at the second point 212 may be almost similar to each other.

According to an embodiment, the electronic device 100 may increase thefrequency of the charging current until the frequency of the chargingcurrent is a first value (e.g., 110 KHz to 148 KHz) from the first timepoint. When the frequency of the charging current is the first value,the electronic device 100 may decrease the duty cycle of the chargingcurrent until the duty cycle of the charging current is a second value(e.g., 30%). The second value may be greater than the minimum value(e.g., 20%) of the duty cycle adjustable by the electronic device 100.For example, when the duty cycle of the charging current is kept notless than the second value, current which flows in the second point 212at a second time point may be greater than or equal to a certain level.In the disclosure, the second time point may refer to a time whencurrent is applied to the wireless charging circuitry 250 of theexternal electronic device 200. Because the current which flows in thesecond point 212 also remains more than the certain level, theelectronic device 100 may transfer sufficient power to the externalelectronic device 200, and a voltage drop of the external electronicdevice 200 may fail to occur.

An existing electronic device may decrease a duty cycle of a chargingcurrent to a minimum value at the second time point. When the duty cycledecreases to the minimum value, voltage at the first point 211 and thesecond point 212 of the external electronic device 200 and current whichflows in the second point 212 may decrease to less than or equal to thecertain level. Thus, charging may fail to be performed, and chargingefficiency may be unstable. However, when the duty cycle of the chargingcurrent is the second value (e.g., 30%), the electronic device 100according to an embodiment of the disclosure may maintain the duty cyclenot to be reduced any longer. Because the duty cycle is maintained atthe second value, as shown in the fourth graph 440 and a first region440 a, the current flowing in the second point 212 may be greater thanor equal to the certain level and power may be stably transferred to theexternal electronic device 200.

According to an embodiment, when the current flowing in the second point212 starts to be increased, the electronic device 100 may decrease thefrequency of the charging current and may increase the duty cycle of thecharging current. In other words, when a certain time elapses afterwireless charging is started and when the current flowing in the secondpoint 212 is stably increased, to increase a charging power, theelectronic device 100 may decrease the frequency of the charging currentand increase the duty cycle of the charging current, during a thirdtime.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of an electronic deviceaccording to an embodiment. FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating anoperation of an electronic device 100 shown in FIG. 1.

Referring to FIG. 5, in operation 510, the electronic device 100 maydetect an external electronic device 200. For example, the electronicdevice 100 may transmit a digital ping to the external electronic device200 to detect whether the external electronic device 200 is close to orin contact with the electronic device 100.

In operation 520, the electronic device 100 may identify the externalelectronic device 200. For example, the electronic device 100 mayreceive an identification packet from the external electronic device 200and may identify a type, a manufacturer, and/or a product code of theexternal electronic device 200 based on the identification packet.

In operation 530, when wireless charging is started, the electronicdevice 100 may increase a frequency of a charging current. In this case,the electronic device 100 may maintain a duty cycle of the chargingcurrent. According to an embodiment, the amount of a charging powerrequired by the external electronic device 200 may be very small at atime when the wireless charging is started. Thus, when the wirelesscharging is started, the electronic device 100 may increase thefrequency of the charging current and may decrease the duty cycle of thecharging current, thus decreasing the amount of the charging power.

In operation 540, the electronic device 100 may determine whether thefrequency of the charging current increases to a maximum frequency(e.g., a first value) adjustable by the electronic device 100. When thefrequency of the charging current is not the maximum frequency,operation 530 may be performed again. When the frequency of the chargingcurrent is the maximum frequency, operation 550 may be performed.

In operation 550, the electronic device 100 may decrease the duty cycleof the charging current. In this case, the electronic device 100 maymaintain the frequency of the charging current.

In operation 560, the electronic device 100 may determine whether theduty cycle of the charging current decreases to a specified value (e.g.,a second value). The specified value may refer to any one value betweena maximum duty cycle and a minimum duty cycle, which are adjustable bythe electronic device 100. When the duty cycle of the charging currentis not the specified value, operation 550 may be performed again.

In operation 570, the electronic device 100 may determine whethercurrent flowing in a conductive coil of the external electronic device200 is increased. When the current flowing in the conductive coil of theexternal electronic device 200 increases to greater than or equal to aspecified level as a result of the determination, in operation 580, theelectronic device 100 may increase the duty cycle of the chargingcurrent. In this case, the electronic device 100 may decrease thefrequency of the charging current. On the other hand, when the currentflowing in the conductive coil of the external electronic device 200does not increase to greater than or equal to the specified level as aresult of the determination, in operation 590, the electronic device 100may maintain the duty cycle of the charging current at the specifiedvalue.

Meanwhile, the embodiments described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5 areillustrative, and various embodiments of the disclosure are not limitedto the embodiments described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5. Forexample, the electronic device 100 may change voltage applied to aconductive coil and/or a phase of a charging power other than thefrequency and duty cycle of the charging power. Furthermore, theelectronic device 100 may first decrease the duty cycle of the chargingpower to a specified value and may increase a frequency of the chargingpower to a maximum frequency.

FIG. 6 is a drawing illustrating an electronic device and a case deviceaccording to an embodiment. FIG. 6 is a drawing illustrating anelectronic device 100 according to another embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 6, the electronic device 100 may be combined with acase device 600. The case device 600 may protect the appearance of theelectronic device 100 from an external impact.

According to an embodiment, the electronic device 100 may detect whetherit is combined with the case device 600. For example, a sensor or amagnet may be included in the case device 600. The electronic device 100may detect whether it is combined with the case device 600, based on asignal generated by the case device 600. For example, a near fieldcommunication (NFC) chip may be embedded in each of the electronicdevice 100 and the case device 600, and the electronic device 100 maydetect whether the case device 600 is combined with the electronicdevice 100, through the NFC chip.

According to an embodiment, when wirelessly charging an externalelectronic device (e.g., an external electronic device 200 of FIG. 4A)in the state where the case device 600 is combined with the electronicdevice 100, the electronic device 100 may fail to perform the operationsdescribed with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5. For example, when the casedevice 600 is combined with the electronic device 100 and when there isa certain separation distance between the electronic device 100 and theexternal electronic device 200, because a shadow region does not occur,although the electronic device 100 decreases a duty cycle of a chargingcurrent to a minimum duty cycle, a voltage drop may fail to occur. Thus,when wirelessly charging the external electronic device 200 in the statewhere the case device 600 is combined with the electronic device 100,the electronic device 100 may decrease the duty cycle to a minimum dutycycle.

According to an embodiment, in wirelessly charging the externalelectronic device 200, the electronic device 100 may determine whetherthe case device 600 is combined with the electronic device 100 and/orthe external electronic device 200. As a result of the determination,when there is a certain separation distance between a conductive coil(e.g., a conductive coil 140 of FIG. 4A) of the electronic device 100and a conductive coil (e.g., a conductive coil 240 of FIG. 4A) of theexternal electronic device 200, the electronic device 100 may fail toperform the operations described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5.

According to an embodiment, the electronic device 100 may furtherinclude a wireless communication circuitry located in a space between afirst plate (e.g., a first plate 111 of FIG. 2) and a second plate(e.g., a second plate 112 of FIG. 2). A processor (e.g., a processor 160of FIG. 2) may receive information about whether a housing (e.g., ahousing 110 of FIG. 2) is combined with the case device 600, via thewireless communication circuitry, and may adjust the duty cycle within asecond range between a second value and an upper limit based on theinformation.

An electronic device 100 according to an embodiment disclosed in thedisclosure may include a housing 110 including a first plate 111, asecond plate 112 spaced apart from the first plate 111 and facing thefirst plate 111, and a side member 113 which at least partiallysurrounds a space between the first plate 111 and the second plate 112,a display 120 located in the space and shown through the first plate111, a conductive coil 140 parallel to the second plate 112 and disposedbetween the display 120 and the second plate 112, a wireless chargingcircuitry 150 electrically connected to the conductive coil 140, and aprocessor 160 operatively connected with the display 120 and thewireless charging circuitry 150. The wireless charging circuitry 150 maybe configured to receive a signal enabling the wireless chargingcircuitry 150, for wirelessly transferring power to an externalelectronic device 200, from the processor 160, receive information aboutthe external electronic device 200 from the external electronic device200 via the conductive coil 140, receive a power control signal from theexternal electronic device 200 via the conductive coil 140, apply acharging current of a first frequency to the conductive coil based atleast in part on a request signal, increase a frequency of the chargingcurrent, compare the increased frequency with a first value, and adjusta duty cycle of the charging current based at least in part on thecompared result.

The first value according to an embodiment disclosed in the disclosuremay be a maximum frequency value providable by the wireless chargingcircuitry 150.

The duty cycle according to an embodiment disclosed in the disclosure isadjustable within a first range between a lower limit and an upperlimit. The processor 160 may be configured to adjust the duty cyclewithin a second range between a second value higher than the lower limitand the upper limit based at least in part on the information about theexternal electronic device 200.

The processor 160 according to an embodiment disclosed in the disclosuremay be configured to transmit the charging current at a frequency of thefirst value and at a duty cycle of the second value via the wirelesscharging circuitry 150 during a selected time period, adjust thefrequency and the duty cycle of the charging current to a default valueafter the selected time period, receive a request of the externalelectronic device 200 after the adjustment, and change the default valuebased at least in part on receiving the request.

The electronic device 200 according to an embodiment disclosed in thedisclosure may further include a wireless communication circuitrylocated in the space. The processor 160 may be configured to receiveinformation about whether the housing 110 is combined with a cover case600, via the wireless communication circuitry, and adjust the duty cyclewithin the second range based on the information.

The processor 160 according to an embodiment disclosed in the disclosuremay be configured to receive the information about the externalelectronic device 200 through a ping phase and an identification andconfiguration phase.

An electronic device 100 according to an embodiment disclosed in thedisclosure may include a housing 110 including a first plate 111, asecond plate 112 spaced apart from the first plate 111 and facing thefirst plate 111, and a side member 113 which at least partiallysurrounds a space between the first plate 111 and the second plate 112,a display 120 located in the space and shown through the first plate111, a conductive coil 140 parallel to the second plate 112 and disposedbetween the display 120 and the second plate 112, a wireless chargingcircuitry 150 electrically connected to the conductive coil 140, and aprocessor 160 operatively connected with the display 120 and thewireless charging circuitry 150. The processor 160 may apply a chargingcurrent to the conductive coil 140 via the wireless charging circuitry150, when receiving a power control signal from an external electronicdevice 200, may increase a frequency of the charging current to have afirst value, and may decrease a duty cycle of the charging current tohave a second value between a minimum duty cycle and a maximum dutycycle, which are adjustable by the wireless charging circuitry 150, whenthe frequency of the charging current is the first value.

The processor 160 according to an embodiment disclosed in the disclosuremay receive information about the external electronic device 200 fromthe external electronic device 200 via the conductive coil 140 and mayapply a charging current corresponding to the information to theconductive coil 140 via the wireless charging circuitry 150.

The information about the external electronic device 200 according to anembodiment disclosed in the disclosure may include at least any one of amanufacturer, a product code, a maximum power, and a charging state ofthe external electronic device 200.

The processor 160 according to an embodiment disclosed in the disclosuremay increase a frequency of the charging current to have the first valueduring a first time.

The processor 160 according to an embodiment disclosed in the disclosuremay decrease a duty cycle of the charging current to have the secondvalue during a second time subsequent to the first time.

The processor 160 according to an embodiment disclosed in the disclosuremay decrease the frequency of the charging current and may increase theduty cycle, during a third time subsequent to the second time.

The processor 160 according to an embodiment disclosed in the disclosuremay receive power information received by the external electronic device200 via the conductive coil 140.

The power information according to an embodiment disclosed in thedisclosure may include information for requesting to increase ordecrease power to be transferred by the electronic device 100 and apower value received by the external electronic device 200.

The processor 160 according to an embodiment disclosed in the disclosuremay change the frequency and the duty cycle of the charging currentbased on the power information.

When the second plate 112 is combined with a cover case 600, theprocessor 160 according to an embodiment disclosed in the disclosure maydecrease the duty cycle to the minimum duty cycle.

According to an embodiment disclosed in the disclosure, a separationdistance between the conductive coil 140 and a conductive coil 240included in the external electronic device 200 may be within a specifiedrange.

A method for wirelessly charging an external electronic device 200according to an embodiment disclosed in the disclosure may includereceiving a power control signal via a conductive coil 140 from theexternal electronic device 200, applying a charging current to theconductive coil 140 via a wireless charging circuitry 150, increasing afrequency of the charging current to have a first value, and decreasinga duty cycle of the charging current to have a second value between aminimum duty cycle and a maximum duty cycle, which are adjustable by thewireless charging circuitry 150, when the frequency of the chargingcurrent is the first value.

The method according to an embodiment disclosed in the disclosure mayfurther include receiving information about the external electronicdevice 200 from the external electronic device 200. The applying of thecharging current to the conductive coil 140 via the wireless chargingcircuitry 150 may include applying charging current corresponding to theinformation about the external electronic device 200 to the conductivecoil 140 via the wireless charging circuitry 150.

The information about the external electronic device 200 according to anembodiment disclosed in the disclosure may include a manufacturer and aproduct code of the external electronic device 200.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating an electronic device 701 in anetwork environment 700 according to various embodiments. Referring toFIG. 7, the electronic device 701 in the network environment 700 maycommunicate with an electronic device 702 via a first network 798 (e.g.,a short-range wireless communication network), or an electronic device704 or a server 708 via a second network 799 (e.g., a long-rangewireless communication network). According to an embodiment, theelectronic device 701 may communicate with the electronic device 704 viathe server 708. According to an embodiment, the electronic device 701may include a processor 720, memory 730, an input device 750, a soundoutput device 755, a display device 760, an audio module 770, a sensormodule 776, an interface 777, a haptic module 779, a camera module 780,a power management module 788, a battery 789, a communication module790, a subscriber identification module (SIM) 796, or an antenna module797. In some embodiments, at least one (e.g., the display device 760 orthe camera module 780) of the components may be omitted from theelectronic device 701, or one or more other components may be added inthe electronic device 701. In some embodiments, some of the componentsmay be implemented as single integrated circuitry. For example, thesensor module 776 (e.g., a fingerprint sensor, an iris sensor, or anilluminance sensor) may be implemented as embedded in the display device760 (e.g., a display).

The processor 720 may execute, for example, software (e.g., a program740) to control at least one other component (e.g., a hardware orsoftware component) of the electronic device 701 coupled with theprocessor 720, and may perform various data processing or computation.According to one embodiment, as at least part of the data processing orcomputation, the processor 720 may load a command or data received fromanother component (e.g., the sensor module 776 or the communicationmodule 790) in volatile memory 732, process the command or the datastored in the volatile memory 732, and store resulting data innon-volatile memory 734. According to an embodiment, the processor 720may include a main processor 721 (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU)or an application processor (AP)), and an auxiliary processor 723 (e.g.,a graphics processing unit (GPU), an image signal processor (ISP), asensor hub processor, or a communication processor (CP)) that isoperable independently from, or in conjunction with, the main processor721. Additionally or alternatively, the auxiliary processor 723 may beadapted to consume less power than the main processor 721, or to bespecific to a specified function. The auxiliary processor 723 may beimplemented as separate from, or as part of the main processor 721.

The auxiliary processor 723 may control at least some of functions orstates related to at least one component (e.g., the display device 760,the sensor module 776, or the communication module 790) among thecomponents of the electronic device 701, instead of the main processor721 while the main processor 721 is in an inactive (e.g., sleep) state,or together with the main processor 721 while the main processor 721 isin an active state (e.g., executing an application). According to anembodiment, the auxiliary processor 723 (e.g., an image signal processoror a communication processor) may be implemented as part of anothercomponent (e.g., the camera module 780 or the communication module 790)functionally related to the auxiliary processor 723.

The memory 730 may store various data used by at least one component(e.g., the processor 720 or the sensor module 776) of the electronicdevice 701. The various data may include, for example, software (e.g.,the program 740) and input data or output data for a command relatedthereto. The memory 730 may include the volatile memory 732 or thenon-volatile memory 734.

The program 740 may be stored in the memory 730 as software, and mayinclude, for example, an operating system (OS) 742, middleware 744, oran application 746.

The input device 750 may receive a command or data to be used by othercomponent (e.g., the processor 720) of the electronic device 701, fromthe outside (e.g., a user) of the electronic device 701. The inputdevice 750 may include, for example, a microphone, a mouse, a keyboard,or a digital pen (e.g., a stylus pen).

The sound output device 755 may output sound signals to the outside ofthe electronic device 701. The sound output device 755 may include, forexample, a speaker or a receiver. The speaker may be used for generalpurposes, such as playing multimedia or playing record, and the receivermay be used for an incoming calls. According to an embodiment, thereceiver may be implemented as separate from, or as part of the speaker.

The display device 760 may visually provide information to the outside(e.g., a user) of the electronic device 701. The display device 760 mayinclude, for example, a display, a hologram device, or a projector andcontrol circuitry to control a corresponding one of the display,hologram device, and projector. According to an embodiment, the displaydevice 760 may include touch circuitry adapted to detect a touch, orsensor circuitry (e.g., a pressure sensor) adapted to measure theintensity of force incurred by the touch.

The audio module 770 may convert a sound into an electrical signal andvice versa. According to an embodiment, the audio module 770 may obtainthe sound via the input device 750, or output the sound via the soundoutput device 755 or a headphone of an external electronic device (e.g.,an electronic device 702) directly (e.g., wiredly) or wirelessly coupledwith the electronic device 701.

The sensor module 776 may detect an operational state (e.g., power ortemperature) of the electronic device 701 or an environmental state(e.g., a state of a user) external to the electronic device 701, andthen generate an electrical signal or data value corresponding to thedetected state. According to an embodiment, the sensor module 776 mayinclude, for example, a gesture sensor, a gyro sensor, an atmosphericpressure sensor, a magnetic sensor, an acceleration sensor, a gripsensor, a proximity sensor, a color sensor, an infrared (IR) sensor, abiometric sensor, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, or anilluminance sensor.

The interface 777 may support one or more specified protocols to be usedfor the electronic device 701 to be coupled with the external electronicdevice (e.g., the electronic device 702) directly (e.g., wiredly) orwirelessly. According to an embodiment, the interface 777 may include,for example, a high definition multimedia interface (HDMI), a universalserial bus (USB) interface, a secure digital (SD) card interface, or anaudio interface.

A connecting terminal 778 may include a connector via which theelectronic device 701 may be physically connected with the externalelectronic device (e.g., the electronic device 702). According to anembodiment, the connecting terminal 778 may include, for example, a HDMIconnector, a USB connector, a SD card connector, or an audio connector(e.g., a headphone connector).

The haptic module 779 may convert an electrical signal into a mechanicalstimulus (e.g., a vibration or a movement) or electrical stimulus whichmay be recognized by a user via his tactile sensation or kinestheticsensation. According to an embodiment, the haptic module 779 mayinclude, for example, a motor, a piezoelectric element, or an electricstimulator.

The camera module 780 may capture a still image or moving images.According to an embodiment, the camera module 780 may include one ormore lenses, image sensors, image signal processors, or flashes.

The power management module 788 may manage power supplied to theelectronic device 701. According to one embodiment, the power managementmodule 788 may be implemented as at least part of, for example, a powermanagement integrated circuit (PMIC).

The battery 789 may supply power to at least one component of theelectronic device 701. According to an embodiment, the battery 789 mayinclude, for example, a primary cell which is not rechargeable, asecondary cell which is rechargeable, or a fuel cell.

The communication module 790 may support establishing a direct (e.g.,wired) communication channel or a wireless communication channel betweenthe electronic device 701 and the external electronic device (e.g., theelectronic device 702, the electronic device 704, or the server 708) andperforming communication via the established communication channel. Thecommunication module 790 may include one or more communicationprocessors that are operable independently from the processor 720 (e.g.,the application processor (AP)) and supports a direct (e.g., wired)communication or a wireless communication. According to an embodiment,the communication module 790 may include a wireless communication module792 (e.g., a cellular communication module, a short-range wirelesscommunication module, or a global navigation satellite system (GNSS)communication module) or a wired communication module 794 (e.g., a localarea network (LAN) communication module or a power line communication(PLC) module). A corresponding one of these communication modules maycommunicate with the external electronic device via the first network798 (e.g., a short-range communication network, such as Bluetooth™,wireless-fidelity (Wi-Fi) direct, or infrared data association (IrDA))or the second network 799 (e.g., a long-range communication network,such as a cellular network, the Internet, or a computer network (e.g.,LAN or wide area network (WAN)). These various types of communicationmodules may be implemented as a single component (e.g., a single chip),or may be implemented as multi components (e.g., multi chips) separatefrom each other. The wireless communication module 792 may identify andauthenticate the electronic device 701 in a communication network, suchas the first network 798 or the second network 799, using subscriberinformation (e.g., international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI))stored in the subscriber identification module 796.

The antenna module 797 may transmit or receive a signal or power to orfrom the outside (e.g., the external electronic device) of theelectronic device 701. According to an embodiment, the antenna module797 may include an antenna including a radiating element composed of aconductive material or a conductive pattern formed in or on a substrate(e.g., PCB). According to an embodiment, the antenna module 797 mayinclude a plurality of antennas. In such a case, at least one antennaappropriate for a communication scheme used in the communicationnetwork, such as the first network 798 or the second network 799, may beselected, for example, by the communication module 790 (e.g., thewireless communication module 792) from the plurality of antennas. Thesignal or the power may then be transmitted or received between thecommunication module 790 and the external electronic device via theselected at least one antenna. According to an embodiment, anothercomponent (e.g., a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC)) other thanthe radiating element may be additionally formed as part of the antennamodule 797.

At least some of the above-described components may be coupled mutuallyand communicate signals (e.g., commands or data) therebetween via aninter-peripheral communication scheme (e.g., a bus, general purposeinput and output (GPIO), serial peripheral interface (SPI), or mobileindustry processor interface (MIPI)).

According to an embodiment, commands or data may be transmitted orreceived between the electronic device 701 and the external electronicdevice 704 via the server 708 coupled with the second network 799. Eachof the electronic devices 702 and 704 may be a device of a same type as,or a different type, from the electronic device 701. According to anembodiment, all or some of operations to be executed at the electronicdevice 701 may be executed at one or more of the external electronicdevices 702, 704, or 708. For example, if the electronic device 701should perform a function or a service automatically, or in response toa request from a user or another device, the electronic device 701,instead of, or in addition to, executing the function or the service,may request the one or more external electronic devices to perform atleast part of the function or the service. The one or more externalelectronic devices receiving the request may perform the at least partof the function or the service requested, or an additional function oran additional service related to the request, and transfer an outcome ofthe performing to the electronic device 701. The electronic device 701may provide the outcome, with or without further processing of theoutcome, as at least part of a reply to the request. To that end, acloud computing, distributed computing, or client-server computingtechnology may be used, for example.

The electronic device according to various embodiments may be one ofvarious types of electronic devices. The electronic devices may include,for example, a portable communication device (e.g., a smartphone), acomputer device, a portable multimedia device, a portable medicaldevice, a camera, a wearable device, or a home appliance. According toan embodiment of the disclosure, the electronic devices are not limitedto those described above.

It should be appreciated that various embodiments of the presentdisclosure and the terms used therein are not intended to limit thetechnological features set forth herein to particular embodiments andinclude various changes, equivalents, or replacements for acorresponding embodiment. With regard to the description of thedrawings, similar reference numerals may be used to refer to similar orrelated elements. It is to be understood that a singular form of a nouncorresponding to an item may include one or more of the things, unlessthe relevant context clearly indicates otherwise. As used herein, eachof such phrases as “A or B,” “at least one of A and B,” “at least one ofA or B,” “A, B, or C,” “at least one of A, B, and C,” and “at least oneof A, B, or C,” may include any one of, or all possible combinations ofthe items enumerated together in a corresponding one of the phrases. Asused herein, such terms as “1st” and “2nd,” or “first” and “second” maybe used to simply distinguish a corresponding component from another,and does not limit the components in other aspect (e.g., importance ororder). It is to be understood that if an element (e.g., a firstelement) is referred to, with or without the term “operatively” or“communicatively”, as “coupled with,” “coupled to,” “connected with,” or“connected to” another element (e.g., a second element), it means thatthe element may be coupled with the other element directly (e.g.,wiredly), wirelessly, or via a third element.

As used herein, the term “module” may include a unit implemented inhardware, software, or firmware, and may interchangeably be used withother terms, for example, “logic,” “logic block,” “part,” or“circuitry”. A module may be a single integral component, or a minimumunit or part thereof, adapted to perform one or more functions. Forexample, according to an embodiment, the module may be implemented in aform of an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

Various embodiments as set forth herein may be implemented as software(e.g., the program 740) including one or more instructions that arestored in a storage medium (e.g., internal memory 736 or external memory738) that is readable by a machine (e.g., the electronic device 701).For example, a processor (e.g., the processor 720) of the machine (e.g.,the electronic device 701) may invoke at least one of the one or moreinstructions stored in the storage medium, and execute it, with orwithout using one or more other components under the control of theprocessor. This allows the machine to be operated to perform at leastone function according to the at least one instruction invoked. The oneor more instructions may include a code generated by a compiler or acode executable by an interpreter. The machine-readable storage mediummay be provided in the form of a non-transitory storage medium. Wherein,the term “non-transitory” simply means that the storage medium is atangible device, and does not include a signal (e.g., an electromagneticwave), but this term does not differentiate between where data issemi-permanently stored in the storage medium and where the data istemporarily stored in the storage medium.

According to an embodiment, a method according to various embodiments ofthe disclosure may be included and provided in a computer programproduct. The computer program product may be traded as a product betweena seller and a buyer. The computer program product may be distributed inthe form of a machine-readable storage medium (e.g., compact disc readonly memory (CD-ROM)), or be distributed (e.g., downloaded or uploaded)online via an application store (e.g., PlayStore™), or between two userdevices (e.g., smart phones) directly. If distributed online, at leastpart of the computer program product may be temporarily generated or atleast temporarily stored in the machine-readable storage medium, such asmemory of the manufacturer's server, a server of the application store,or a relay server.

According to various embodiments, each component (e.g., a module or aprogram) of the above-described components may include a single entityor multiple entities. According to various embodiments, one or more ofthe above-described components may be omitted, or one or more othercomponents may be added. Alternatively or additionally, a plurality ofcomponents (e.g., modules or programs) may be integrated into a singlecomponent. In such a case, according to various embodiments, theintegrated component may still perform one or more functions of each ofthe plurality of components in the same or similar manner as they areperformed by a corresponding one of the plurality of components beforethe integration. According to various embodiments, operations performedby the module, the program, or another component may be carried outsequentially, in parallel, repeatedly, or heuristically, or one or moreof the operations may be executed in a different order or omitted, orone or more other operations may be added.

According to various embodiments disclosed in the disclosure, theelectronic device may prevent charging from being blocked at a time whenwireless charging is started and may improve unstable chargingefficiency.

In addition, various effects directly or indirectly ascertained throughthe disclosure may be provided.

While the disclosure has been shown and described with reference tovarious embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled inthe art that various changes in form and details may be made thereinwithout departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure as definedby the appended claims and their equivalents.

Although the present disclosure has been described with variousembodiments, various changes and modifications may be suggested to oneskilled in the art. It is intended that the present disclosure encompasssuch changes and modifications as fall within the scope of the appendedclaims.

What is claimed is:
 1. An electronic device, comprising: a housingincluding a first plate, a second plate spaced apart from the firstplate and a side member disposed between the first plate and the secondplate; a display a conductive disposed between the display and thesecond plate; a wireless charging circuitry electrically connected tothe conductive coil; and a processor operatively connected with thedisplay and the wireless charging circuitry, wherein the wirelesscharging circuitry is configured to: receive a signal, enabling thewireless charging circuitry, for wirelessly transferring power to anexternal electronic device from the processor; receive information aboutthe external electronic device from the external electronic device viathe conductive coil; receive a power control signal from the externalelectronic device via the conductive coil; apply a charging current of afirst frequency to the conductive coil based at least in part on arequest signal; increase a frequency of the charging current; comparethe increased frequency with a first value; and adjust a duty cycle ofthe charging current based at least in part on the compared result. 2.The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the first value is a maximumfrequency value providable by the wireless charging circuitry.
 3. Theelectronic device of claim 1, wherein the duty cycle is adjustablewithin a first range between a lower limit and an upper limit, andwherein the processor is configured to adjust the duty cycle within asecond range between a second value higher than the lower limit and theupper limit based at least in part on the information about the externalelectronic device.
 4. The electronic device of claim 3, wherein theprocessor is further configured to: transmit the charging current at afrequency of the first value and at a duty cycle of the second value viathe wireless charging circuitry during a selected time period; adjustthe frequency and the duty cycle of the charging current to a defaultvalue after the selected time period; receive a request of the externalelectronic device after the adjustment; and change the default valuebased at least in part on receiving the request.
 5. The electronicdevice of claim 3, further comprising a wireless communication circuitrylocated in the space, wherein the processor is further configured to:receive information about whether the housing is combined with a covercase via the wireless communication circuitry; and adjust the duty cyclewithin the second range based on the information.
 6. The electronicdevice of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to receive theinformation about the external electronic device through a ping phaseand an identification and configuration phase.
 7. An electronic device,comprising: a housing including a first plate, a second plate spacedapart from the first plate and a side member disposed between the firstplate and the second plate; a display; a conductive disposed between thedisplay and the second plate; a wireless charging circuitry electricallyconnected to the conductive coil; and a processor operatively connectedwith the display and the wireless charging circuitry, wherein theprocessor: applies a charging current to the conductive coil via thewireless charging circuitry while receiving a power control signal froman external electronic device, increases a frequency of the chargingcurrent to have a first value, and decreases a duty cycle of thecharging current to have a second value between a minimum duty cycle anda maximum duty cycle, the minimum duty cycle and the maximum duty cyclebeing adjustable by the wireless charging circuitry, based on thefrequency of the charging current being the first value.
 8. Theelectronic device of claim 7, wherein the processor further: receivesinformation about the external electronic device from the externalelectronic device via the conductive coil; and applies a chargingcurrent corresponding to the information to the conductive coil via thewireless charging circuitry.
 9. The electronic device of claim 8,wherein the information about the external electronic device includes atleast any one of a manufacturer, a product code, a maximum power, or acharging state of the external electronic device.
 10. The electronicdevice of claim 7, wherein the processor further increases a frequencyof the charging current to have the first value during a first time. 11.The electronic device of claim 10, wherein the processor furtherdecreases a duty cycle of the charging current to have the second valueduring a second time subsequent to the first time.
 12. The electronicdevice of claim 11, wherein the processor further decreases thefrequency of the charging current and increases the duty cycle during athird time subsequent to the second time.
 13. The electronic device ofclaim 7, wherein the processor further receives power informationreceived by the external electronic device via the conductive coil. 14.The electronic device of claim 13, wherein the power informationincludes information for requesting to increase or decrease power to betransferred by the electronic device and a power value received by theexternal electronic device.
 15. The electronic device of claim 13,wherein the processor changes the frequency and the duty cycle of thecharging current based on the power information.
 16. The electronicdevice of claim 7, wherein, based on the second plate being combinedwith a cover case, the processor decreases the duty cycle to the minimumduty cycle.
 17. The electronic device of claim 7, wherein a separationdistance between the conductive coil and a conductive coil included inthe external electronic device is within a specified range.
 18. A methodfor wirelessly charging an external electronic device, the methodcomprising: receiving a power control signal via a conductive coil fromthe external electronic device; applying a charging current to theconductive coil via a wireless charging circuitry; increasing afrequency of the charging current to have a first value; and decreasinga duty cycle of the charging current to have a second value between aminimum duty cycle and a maximum duty cycle, the minimum duty cycle andthe maximum duty cycle being adjustable by the wireless chargingcircuitry, based on the frequency of the charging current being thefirst value.
 19. The method of claim 18, further comprising receivinginformation about the external electronic device from the externalelectronic device, wherein the applying of the charging current to theconductive coil via the wireless charging circuitry includes applyingcharging current corresponding to the information about the externalelectronic device to the conductive coil via the wireless chargingcircuitry.
 20. The method of claim 19, wherein the information about theexternal electronic device includes a manufacturer and a product code ofthe external electronic device.